As mobile electronics continue to evolve, limitations between the data management, digital input and output and user interfaces, and the software applications embedded in the device and applications available via the internet, are becoming increasingly more evident. Designers have built various mobile device cases for the purpose of protecting the devices from weather elements or submersion in water or other liquids, and for impact resistance. Traditionally, external input has been limited to the touch interface on the face, or screen, of the mobile devices. There are several examples of external keyboards that interface with the mobile devices via a wireless or a direct physical connection.
Various prior-art methods attempt to provide solutions to the issues and problems the current inventions solves.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/223,836 by Tong Luo filed on Sep. 1, 2011 with the title “DETACHABLE BACK MOUNTED TOUCHPAD FOR A HANDHELD COMPUTERIZED DEVICE” (which published as U.S. 2012/0007822 on Jan. 12, 2012) is incorporated herein by reference. Luo describes a detachable touchpad for a handheld computerized device. This detachable touchpad is configured to reversibly attach to the back of a handheld computerized device that lacks a rear mounted touchpad, and with appropriate software, allow the user to at least in part control the handheld computerized device from behind the device.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/507,467 by Johan Linden, filed on Jul. 22, 2009, with the title of “ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH TOUCH-SENSITIVE CONTROL” (which published as U.S. 2011/0021251 on Jan. 27, 2011)is incorporated herein by reference. Linden describes a user input device on a surface of the phone different than the surface on which the user views information displayed on a display thereof. For example, an electronic device, such as a mobile phone, can have a display on a front side and a user input device such as a touchpad on a backside. The mobile phone can be cradled in a user's palm while being securely grasped on edges thereof by the thumb and forefingers of the user's hand. The touchpad, being located on the backside of the device, can be operated by a user's index finger, for example.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/620,424 by John Elias, filed on Jan. 5, 2007, with the title of “BACK-SIDE INTERFACE FOR HAND-HELD DEVICES” (which published as U.S. 2007/0103454 on May 10, 2007)is incorporated herein by reference. Elias describes an electronic device that uses separate surfaces for input and output. One of the surfaces (e.g., the bottom) includes a force-sensitive touch-surface through which a user provides input (e.g., cursor manipulation and control element selection). On a second surface (e.g., the top), a display element is used to present information appropriate to the device's function (e.g., video information), one or more control elements and a cursor. The cursor is controlled through manipulation of the back-side touch-surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,588 to Bisset, et al. issued Aug. 6, 1996, with the title “Touch pad driven handheld computing device” is incorporated herein by reference. Bisset describes a handheld computing device comprises a thin enclosure having two opposing major faces. A display screen is disposed on a first one of the major opposing faces of the enclosure and a touch-sensitive object position detector input device is disposed on a second one of the major opposing faces of the enclosure. Computing device circuitry, circuitry for interfacing the touch-sensitive object position detector to the computing device circuitry, and circuitry for driving the display screen are all disposed within the enclosure.
There remains a need in the art for improved user input interfaces for mobile devices specific to separate, protective clip-on enclosures.